cosmic dust
1
6.3
- noun
- /ˈkɒzmɪk dʌst/
- Specialized
:
polvo cósmico
- Astronomers know better than anyone that we live on a speck of cosmic dust, adrift in a vast and nearly empty universe.
- cosmic dust grains
Examples
-
Cosmic dust wafts down from space, all around us, all the time.
Academic text (2001) -
These metals are extremely rare in cosmic dust and should not appear in the scan.
Academic text (2001) -
We could have flashed by one another like two pieces of cosmic dust.
Fiction book (1992) -
Cosmic dust has a unique mineralogy because these particles formed in space, an environment totally different from Earth.
Academic text (2001) -
It turns out that cosmic dust plays crucial roles in both starbirth and stellar death.
Academic text (2001) -
Cosmic dust grains also bear scars accumulated during their millions of years in space.
Academic text (2001) -
In many cases, jets are very small or hidden by cosmic dust—not a problem for the radio observations, which can see through the dust with sub-arcsecond resolution.
Academic text (1995) -
Astronomers have long studied how cosmic dust is formed from the remnants of stars.
-
Much of the universe's matter exists as cosmic dust, drifting through the vast emptiness of space.
-
The formation of planets often begins with tiny particles of cosmic dust clumping together over time.
How Abundant
11
2.9
- Specialized
1
6.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'cosmic' (pertaining to the universe) modifies 'dust' (tiny particles), so it denotes dust in a space/universe context. This is a literal, cross-linguistically common modifier+noun combination, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Cosmic dust gives a simple image: tiny bits of cosmic dust floating in 'space' between the stars. So, because these tiny pieces and gas float everywhere and can make meteor showers or block starlight, the term now means the very small particles and gases found throughout space.